What is the best Shotgun shell to kill waterfowl?

[Nick9130White]

I have a Remington 870 Express 12 gauge and i have two different game loads, i'm fairly new to hunting waterfowl (and to hunting in general).
The two types of shells are Remington 3" 4 shot and Remington 3" BB shot.
Which is better? They both say they are meant for waterfowl.
Or is there another type that is better?

 

[Saltydog235]

Not to be a smartass, but the one you put in the guns are good for waterfowl. I've shot a ton of it from expensive Heavi-shot to steel, all of it kills birds if you let them get into working range. If you go to skybusting out of range birds none of it works. So to answer you, both will do the job for you.

 

[Deerhunter]

I am sure there are a lot of opinions out there. I think BB is a little big for ducks but good for geese. I usually shoot 2s for ducks. I have been using Black Cloud. It is good stuff. It holds a tight pattern though. I am still playing with different types (not size). Like I said Black Cloud holds a tight pattern and might actually be a little tighter than I want on decoying ducks at shorter ranges. I guess it is a trade off though for the days they don't want to drop into our laps.

 

[sc928porsche]

For hunting ducks and geese, I like Federal Premium in #6 for duck and #2 for geese. I use a 12 ga. 3" magnum Zaballa side by side.

 

[jmr40]

It is really hard to say. It depends on where, and how you hunt. The #6 and #2's mentioned in the previous post used to be pretty much standard before steel shot laws. They are may be OK with some of the other non-toxic shot available, but are a little too light in steel in my opinion.

Most of my duck hunting is over beaver ponds where shots tend to be closer. I use an IC choke tube with either #4's or #2 steel in 3" magnums. I usually prefer the #2's in case a goose comes over. If I know I'm likely to get a shot at Geese I use either BB's or BBB's.

There is no magic number. Just experiment and see what works best for you.

 

[419]

I use 4's or 2's for mallard sized ducks and BB or BBB for geese.

 

[Nick9130White]

That sounds good. I'll just test what I have. Thank you for the help! What exactly does the shot size mean? Does it just tell you the kinda pattern it will have?

 

[Deerhunter]

Like I said I use 2s for ducks. We mostly get Mallards in where we hunt. I always have a few BBs just in case a goose flies in.

You can do a search on google to see the sizes of shot. The numbers are the size.......8 being smaller than 2.

I don't know of any place that allows lead for waterfowl any more. Maybe there is a place in the US that does though. I have even heard that some states are going to steel for doves. That is going to suck if they do that around here or in PA where I also hunt.

 

[Noonan]

I have been using Remington Nitro Steel (high velocity) # 4 shot for wood ducks. It kills them dead.

 

[DRT300]

I like remington nitro's in a 3" mag. shot through a improved cylinder.

 

[jmr40]

The smaller the number, the larger the pellets. Larger pellets also mean less shot in the shell. It is a balancing act to get the right size.

Lead shot is much more dense than steel. When using steel most advise going up 2 shot sizes to get about equal performance. Back before lead was banned #4 and even #6 lead shot was about right for duck hunting. Most guys use #2's around here with a few using #4

Before steel few guys used 3" shells either. By going up 2 sizes in shot you limit the number of pellets in your shells. Going to the 3" shells helps get a few more pellets in there to balance things out.

The Bismuth and other non-toxic shot are much closer to steel in performance, but are also much more expensive.

 

[Deerhunter]

I have been shooting 3inch Black Cloud # 2s for ducks out of an Improved Cylinder. Has been working just fine for me.

My problem is I don't get out nearly enough and then there are those days when it just sucks and we don't see anything. When we have the days that the ducks are moving (here is my problem) I get to damn excited and miss more than I should.